Thousands of people lined the streets of Tokyo this morning as the newly appointed US Ambassador, Caroline Kennedy, headed off to the Imperial palace to present her credentials to the Emperor Akihito.
In ceremony befitting royalty and under unprecedented media attention, Kennedy took a horse drawn carriage from the Meiji Kaikan building to the Imperial Palace, just a few minutes away by foot.
Ambassadors arriving in Japan are allowed to choose whether to take a normal car or the traditional horse drawn carriage.
Ambassadors, even US Ambassadors, usually are not given the amount of media coverage that Kennedy has had since her arrival in Japan last week to take up her first high profile job in public office.
The daughter of slain U.S. President John F. Kennedy, the 55-year-old lawyer takes up the post days before the 50th anniversary of her father's assassination.
Kennedy, the first female U.S. ambassador to Japan, was an early and prominent supporter of Barack Obama in his initial quest for the presidency in 2008. She also campaigned for him.